Next U.S. president must live up to JCPOA commitments: Iran

TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Monday that the future U.S. president must remain committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly called the nuclear deal.

Whoever takes office in the White House must adhere to the implementation of nuclear agreement as the Obama administration did, Qassemi told a weekly press briefing as Americans on Tuesday will decide whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will take the helm.

“The next U.S. president should remain committed to Washington’s obligations to the JCPOA even if he (she) doesn’t want to.”

However, Qassemi said no drastic changes are anticipated in Iran-U.S relationship with under a new leader in the White House.

-----‘Iran following up on 21 fishermen in hands of pirates’

On the fate of 21 Iranian fishermen held hostage in the waters of Oman by Somali pirates, Qassemi said, “Iran not being in speaking terms with the Somali government” and this has made the search more difficult. However, related organizations along with the Foreign Ministry are following their freedom.

Some efforts have been made to liberate the Iranian captives but since the other negotiating side is pirate, the task at hand has to be approached “very delicately” and “tactfully”.

He promised that the Iranian organizations including the foreign ministry are doing any efforts necessary to bring back sailors home safely.

------‘EU office in Tehran unlikely to open any time soon’

Elsewhere, Qassemi said unlike what some media outlets have indicated the launch of a European Union office in Tehran won’t happen any time soon.

“The process is time consuming” as it has to go through legal and bureaucratic stages, he explained.

The spokesman further explained that Iran already has an office in Brussels that handles affairs in Europe.

------ ‘Iran to send ambassador to Damascus and Muscat’

Qassemi called the process of selecting an ambassador to various countries is “complicated” and “lengthy.”

Since Iran’s ex-ambassador to Syria overstayed his mandate, for about five years, he could no longer remain in the position, leaving Tehran with no envoy in Damascus for now, he explained.

Hopefully soon, he noted, two envoys will be introduced to Syria and Oman.